Filling and closing machine



- April 20, 1937. F J STOKE-S ET AL 2,077,647

FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINE Filed June 18, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f8 i i4 s' 49 /4 a April 20, 1937. v F. J. sToKES ET Al. 2,077,647

' FILLING AND cLosING MACHINE Filed June 18, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wg@ S@des (TM5/k Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,077,647 FILLING AND CLOSING MACHINE Pennsylvania Application June 18,1930, Serial No. 461,884

4 Claims.

Objects of the present invention are to provide in an efiicient,reliable, and automatic machine, operative with4 containers of widelydifferent diameters, and adapted, if desired, to raise containers to anon-dripping filling nozzle and to flll them and to lower the filledcontainers; means to mark or emboss the lids, and to guide, seat andapply the embossedlids and to control the operations above mentioned insuch manner that in vthe absence of containers the filling mechanism andlid feeding mechanism are inoperative. Another object of the presentinvention is tov providefor convenience in cleaning the machine parts sothat changes can readily be made from one kind of filling material toanother. Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription.

The invention comprises the improvements to be presently described andfinally claimed.

' In the following description reference will be periods of rest itpresents a container or a series of containers axially to the fillingmechanism,

generally indicated at 2, and which is inoperative unless a container ispresented to it, and the conveyor presents a filledA container to a lidfeed mechanism, generally indicated at 3, and which is inoperativeunless a filled container is presented to it. The lid feed mechanism 3includes an embossing press, generally indicated at l, which serves to'stamp letters or characters on the lids before they are applied to thecontainers. The conveyor I also presents a filled container to which alid has been applied to a lid closer, generally indicated at 5, and'to ascrape-off device 6. The parts above indicated and one, but not theonly, form`of mechanism for woiking and controlling them will now bedescribed.

Power is applied to the shaft 1 and from it to the fillingmechanism'through a clutch device, generallyindicated at 8,v andtherefore intermittently. Power from the shaft 'Il is appliedcontinuously to the other moving or actuating parts of the machine. ,f

The conveyor I, in the form illustrated, includes a chain, shown to runaround two sprocket or toothed wheels 9 and Ill, and provided withfingers II of which the leading edges serve to push containers along apath I2 provided with a guide rail I3. The conveyor is adapted toaccommodate containers of different diameters, shapes and heights withinwide limits. The sprocket wheel 9 is adjusted by the screws and slotsI4, so that containers of different sizes can be positioned in alignmentWith the nozzle I6 when the conveyor pauses. The guide Il together withthe finger 30 serves to put the containers in position to stop 'directlyunder theV nozzle I6. 4 Intermittent motion is imparted to the sprocketwheel 9 and to the conveyor I byetheGeneva stop motion mechanism I8,acting through the worm gear and shaft I9, Fig. 1. The Geneva stopmotion mechanism is driven by the toothed gears 20 and 2l)a constantlydriven from'the shaft I through worm and worm wheel 2l and worm wheelshaft and toothed wheel 22. There is provided means whereby the conveyorI is moved with a rapid, intermittent motion but with relatively slowacceleration and deceleration, so that the material in the containers isnot likely to be spilled. This means, as is best seen in Fig. 1,consists of the double-arm Geneva driver mounted on gear 20 and carryingat its ends two pins which successively co-operate in turn with one ofthe four slots in Geneva gear I8. arms of the Geneva driver are placed180 apart so that, for each complete revolution of the driver, twoconsecutive slots of the Geneva star I8 are engaged by the arms andthereby the Geneva star is given two consecutive motions of aquarterturn or each. Because of our novel arrangement of the double-armor Geneva driver, in combination with the proper gearing, the speed ofthe conveyor chain I is reduced to one-half, vpermitting us to operatethe machine at twice the old-production rate, without disturbing orshaking out the contents of the lled containers. The pump plunger 23,and the intake valve 24 and the nozzle cut-olf valve 25 are driven fromAthe shaft 26, connectable and disconnectable in 21, Fig. 1,reciprocated by cam 28, Fig. 4, through lever 29. 'I'he rack baroperates the intake valve 24 of the pump and also the cut-off valve 25of the nozzle. The finger 3U, Figs. 2 and 4, normally disposed in thepath of an oncoming container, is mounted on a Weighted bell crank lever)L connected by linkage 32 with the pin 33, Fig. 5, which operates uponthe latch 33a, and serves to connect the clutch when a containeroperates upon the finger 30 and to disconnect the clutch when nocontainer operates upon the finger 3D. There is thus provided a nocontainer, no fill control. It may be remarked that the cut-off valve 25is Vented through its stem to the atmosphere, but vthe valve structureis not claimed herein in detail as it forms the subject-matter of PatentN0. 1,843,701, issued Feb. 2K, 1932.

At a dwell in the travel of conveyor. I and in the case of containerswith wide mouths, such as cans, the container comes toa position of restfor filling and is not lifted, but when material has to be introducedthrough a-small opening the container may be raised up to the nozzle 25,by the spring pressed lifterl 34, Figs. l and 4, actuated by the cam 35and bell crank lever follower 36, Fig. 4. At the same time material,previously drawn into the cylinder of the pump, is ejected by the pumppiston through the nozzle into the lifted container which is thenlowered.

It may be remarked that in the case of containers with wide mouths, themechanism including the spring pressed lifter 34, actuated by the cam35, and bell crank lever follower 36, are omitted or put out of action,whereas with containers where the material has to be introduced througha small opening, the mechanism last referred to is present and is inaction.

This is accomplished by loosening the collar 12 upon which the spring 13bears. Lever 36 only acts in the downward direction to compress spring13 so that when collar 12 is loose on shaft 34 spring 13 is notcompressed and does not actuate shaft 34 upward.

Lids fed by the chute 31 pass between the jaws of the lid marking orembossing press 4 of the toggle type, actuated by an eccentric 39, onthe shaft 4I) driven in a continuous manner, and

`they fall, one at a time, into the ring 4I, under the bar 42, ifpresent, and atwise onto the shutter43, Figs. 1 and 3. The shutter 43 isturned out of the way permitting the lid to drop onto a filled containerduring a dwell in the movement of the conveyor I.- The shutter is turnedby a cam 50a, Fig. 3, on cam shaft 46, Fig. 3, acting through thefollower 45, link 46, crank arm 41, and turnable post, 48. The follower45 is pressed against cam 5I)a by the spring 45B. In the absence of acontainer there is no lid feed. This is accomplished as follows: The bar49 is continuously oscillated endwise by the, cam 56 and bell cranklever follower 5|, Fig. 3. The bar` 49 has two radial positions inrespect to its point of pivotal connection with the lever 5I. In one ofthese positions, shown in Fig. 3, a pin 52 on bell crank lever rides upand down in one portion 53 of a slot, having another portion 54 disposedat-right angles to the part 53, so that the bell crank lever 55 remainsat rest. The bell crank lever 55 is connected with pins 56 and 51arranged crosswisepf the path of the lids and adapted by withdrawal tofeed the lids singly into the embossing press as the pin 52 is engagedby portions 54 of the slot and thus swings the bell crank lever 55 out.With pin 52 as shown in Fig. 3, lthe bell crank lever 55 remains at restand pins 56 and 51 prevent the lids from being fed into the priss. It isthe hook 58 that positions the arm 49 in Fig. 3, and the hook isconnected with a finger 6U, Fig. 2, disposd in the path of the oncomingcontainers, so that a container striking the finger' 60 turns the shaft6I and the hook 58 and pressesA upper end of link 49 to the right inFig. 3 and holds it with portion 54 of slot 53 engaged with pin 52. Inthat position of the pin, motion is imparted by it to the bell cranklever 55, and the pins 56 and 51, being withdrawn from the path of thelids, feed them singly. The spring 49a, Fig. 3, acts upon the bar 49 andthrough it acts upon the hook 58 and fingers 60 to return them toinitial position.

At the next dwell in the movement of the conveyor I, the plunger 5 isbrought down and secures the lids onto the containers, or caps thecontainers. In Fig. l, the eccentric 62 and rod 63 serve to operate theplunger 5. The rod 63 carries the strap of the eccentric 62, and the rod63 has jointed connection with the stem 5a, Fig.

2, of the plunger, which is guided for movement in a straight line. Thewiper 6, Fig. 2, serves vto deliver the filled, capped and embossedcontainers from the machine.

It is a feature that certain parts are made in sections and can bereadily disassembled for cleaning and reassembled for use. The hopper 65and valve casing 66 are removable by the pivotal thumb screws 61, givingaccess to the pump cylinder parts, and the valve casing is removablefrom the hopper, and its sections can be released by the yoke clamp 68.

69, Fig. 4, is a fork operated by a cam 10.

through the intervention of a pivotal lever 1I and it operates where thelids are dropped from the magazine into the portion of the chute, Fig.l, to separate single lids from'the nested supply of lids.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates that modifications may be made in details of construction andarrangement and matters of mere form without departing from the spiritof the invention which is not limited to such matters or otherwise thanthe prior art and the appended claims may require.

We claim:

1. In an automatic filling and closing machine, the combination of, aconveyor for moving a plurality of containers, a magazine for containinga plurality of lids for said containers, a gravity chute for conveyingindividual ones of said lids from said magazine to a position above saidconveyor to which position filled containers are conveyed, first meansfor passing said lids one-by-one from said magazine to said chute,mechanism for marking said lids while in said chute, and second meansactuated by a container for feeding a lid from said chute onto saidcontainer.

2. In an automatic filling and closing machine, the combination of,first means for moving a plurality of containers, a magazine forcontaining a plurality of lids for said containers, a sloping chute forreceiving lids from said magazine and conveying them by gravity, second'means for passing lids one-by-one from said magazine to said chute, anannular ring located above the containers on said first means andbeneath the 1ower end of said chute, third means interposed between theupper end of said chute and said ring for passing lids one-by-one fromsaid chute to said ring, fourth means beneath said ring for retaining alid therein and for depositing a lid from said ring onto a containerbeneath, and

fifth means responsive to one of said centaine for actuating said thirdmeans.

3. In an automatic lling and closing machine, the combination of, firstmeans for moving a plurality of containers, a magazine for containing aplurality of lids for said containers, a sloping chute for receivinglids from said magazine and conveying them by gravity, second means forpassing lids one-by-one from said magazine to said chute, an annularring located above the containers on said first means and beneath thelower end of said chute, a bar across the top 'of said ring, third meansinterposed between the upper end of said chute and said ring for passinglids one-by-one from said chute to said ring, fourth means beneath saidring for retaining a lid therein and for depositing a lid from said ring.onto a containerbeneath, and fifth means responsive to one of saidcontainers for actuating y said third means.

4. In an automatic filling and closing machine,

the combination of, a conveyo,b ior moving a plurality of containers, amagazine for containing a plurality of lids for said containers, agravity chute for conveying individual ones of said lids from saidmagazine to a position above said c onveyor to which position filledcontainers are conveyed, a pivotally mounted lever for passing lidsone-by-one from said magazine to said chute, a second pivotally'mountedlever having one end moving into and out of said chute for feeding a lidfrom said chute, an embossing press having actuating jaws acting upon alid in said chute. a toggle for actuating said embossing press, ashutter mounted to lfeed lids one-by-one from said chute to a containeron said conveyor, and a pivotally mounted lever interposed in the pathof the containers on said conveyor and control ling the actuation ofsaid secondlever so as .to control the feed of said lids.

FRANCIS J. STOKES. CHARLES J. WESTIN.

